March 6, 2011 by Kelly.

About a year ago I took hold of Proverbs 16:3 as a promise. It states:

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

 I had just been voted into leadership for our local homeschooling group, and I wanted to “turn it over” to God, so that He would lead the group and I’d just be His secretary. I’ve kept that verse on a small sticky note on my desk all this time, to remind me of this commitment and God’s promise to guide me.

A couple months ago I began working through the Experiencing God workbook:

This past week I pondered Philippians 2:13:

“…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Yesterday I transferred all my small sticky notes to index cards so I could file them in my box of Bible verses. I had Prov 16:3 sitting next to Phil 2:13 … and the meaning of both hit me.

God has a plan. He is at work in completing that plan. He is at work in me, molding and shaping me, guiding me to accomplish His plan. He puts the ideas in my head which cause me to think, God wants me to do this. I must then commit those plans back to Him, knowing they are His in the first place, and let Him guide me to accomplish His work. If I commit those works–those desires–to Him, He will guide my thoughts and give me the knowledge to complete my role in His plan.

Not my will, but the Lord’s. Look around. Where is God working around you? What is He doing? How can you help? Commit your works–the works He is doing in and around you–unto Him and let Him guide you.

As for me… “Here am I, Lord. Use me!”

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September 16, 2010 by Kelly.

This year I am “leading” our local homeschool support group. During the summer, as I prayed about the first meeting in August, my daughter created an “Attitude.” After seeing this little pillow-type creation, I knew that every homeschooling mom would need one!

With my daughter’s help, I sorted through all my scrap material and began making Attitudes. At the meeting in August, I asked each woman in attendance to pick one. (In my next post, I’ll tell you how to make your own Attitude.) I then explained what an Attitude is…

Attitudes can be just about any color, so you can match your homeschooling area, or choose your favorite color. You’ll want to keep your Attitude with your homeschooling books, and then each day “check” your Attitude (one side is happy, one side isn’t so happy). Check to be sure you have the right Attitude showing.

Homeschooling takes a G.O.D. attitude. Without this proper attitude you will…

…lose your joy. Express your Gratitude for your children, your husband, your Savior, and your opportunity to homeschool.

…burn out. Be Open and willing to share God with your children as well as with other moms.

…lose focus. You need Diligence to run the race set before you (Heb. 12:1).

Gratitude. Openness. Diligence. These should be part of your G.O.D. attitude this year. Having a bad day? Check your Attitude! Don’t complain and think God is punishing you. He loves you! Look to Him and judge your circumstances—what is He trying to teach you? Don’t look at your circumstances and judge God. “Flip” your Attitude!

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April 23, 2010 by Kelly.

I am reading a life-changing book right now. How do I know it’s life-changing? Because I can’t just zip through it. I find myself stopping every few pages and going back to re-read them. I’m underlining (in pen) sentences that make me say, “Yes!” or “Amen!” or “I never thought of that before.” There is only one other book that makes me do all those things, and that’s my Bible.

What book am I reading? Hearing God’s Voice, by Henry and Richard Blackaby.

This morning I read about “spiritual markers.”

“Spiritual markers identify times of transition, decision, or direction when you know God clearly guided you. … There are many ways to denote spiritual markers in your life. One method is to write the date and a brief notation beside the verses in your Bible as God speaks to you through them. … Write the date down beside the verse so when times become difficult, you can look back in your Bible and remember the day God made this promise.”

If you could see my computer desk, you’d understand why this concept jumped out at me. The right corner of my desk holds eight mini sticky notes, each with a Bible verse on it. These verses all spoke to me at some point over the past month or two. I thought I was doing good to write them out and place them where I could see them daily, to remind me of God’s Truth. I see now that I should take this a step further and note the date in my Bible!

Philippians 2:3-4 and Ephesians 5:21 are both great verses for those in leadership to keep in mind. I’ve been thinking about leadership lately, as I’ve volunteered to lead my local homeschool group starting in August 2010. I’ve not yet been “voted in,” but these verses remind me that it’s not about me–it’s about the group, and what God has planned for it. I want what’s best for the group, whether that means I lead or someone else leads. I will submit myself to the other ladies regardless of my role.

I found Proverbs 16:3 as I was preparing to release an ebook. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything properly, and legally, and at times I would get overwhelmed or confused about what to do next in the process. Once I committed the project to God, my mind cleared and the ebook is now published and available for purchase.

Psalm 86:11 came to me as I was praying about leading the local homeschool group. I wanted to be sure I was following God’s will for my life. I sought to keep my heart focused on Him and His plan.

There are others, such as Acts 4:12, which is my favorite Bible verse, and 2 Timothy 2:16, which I’m not sure why I wrote down–perhaps I need to examine my thoughts and speech!

As I read my Bible, I come across verses that I’ve noted in the past. I can remember the situations I was experiencing, and I can now “see” how God worked things out. How I wish I had dated those verses! As I look at “where I’ve been” I can more clearly see where God is leading. Now, when an opportunities arise, I can see which ones are most consistent with what God has already been doing in my life.

Do you have spiritual markers? Leave a comment and share some of them with me! I can already tell that this is going to be a great asset to my quiet time, and I hope it is (or will be) to yours as well.

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April 1, 2010 by Kelly.

For the past month, this dog has been wandering around our neighborhood. He’d often come to our yard and play with my children, or follow us as we walked around the neighborhood. Because of the “colors” in his fur, my children named him Skittles. Sometimes we’d go days without seeing him, then he’d be back for a couple days, sleeping by the fence next door or near a fire hydrant a block away.

After a couple weeks we figured he had a home and just kept getting out. He didn’t look malnourished or dirty; he was always happy and friendly. But we didn’t know where he lived, and he didn’t have a collar. None of the other neighbors that I spoke with knew where he lived although they’d seen him wandering around. It was thought that he lived at the end of our street, but no one seemed to know which house.

My children wanted to take him in until we could find his owner, but that just wasn’t possible–he obviously went home at times, and I didn’t want to stop him. They enjoyed having Skittles “visit” them a few times a week. We even set out water for him because it was so hot this past week.

Tuesday, 3/30/10, Skittles ventured out of our neighborhood and was hit by a car. My 9-year-old was devastated when he heard the news. He loved that dog.

Does your dog have a collar and a tag? Just a simple phone number is all that’s needed. If Skittles had been tagged, I would have called to find out where he lived. I would have let my children put him in our fenced pool area until I knew his owners were home, and then we would have walked him home. I would have done that over and over, however many times he got out.

We still don’t know who Skittles belonged to, or if they even know he’s never coming home again. Please, please put a collar on your dog, and put your phone number on the tag so that your dog doesn’t end up like Skittles.

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March 16, 2010 by Kelly.

I’m trying very hard to keep my writing muscles flexing these days. I have two other blogs besides this one (The Unofficial Weaver Blog, and another HOME Writer site for reviewing books), and I manage our church’s Facebook page. Then there’s my homeschooling site, The Unofficial Weaver Pages, and my newest endeavor: Hub Pages Author. Right now I have seven articles posted:

• Exercising Your Muscles
• Patience and Forgiveness
• A Servant’s Heart
• Organization: Expanding the Definition
• 10 Things We Wish We Could Organize
• H.O.M.E. Review: Online Organizing.com
• Meet the Professional Organizer: Ramona Creel

I hope you’ll take time to visit these various sites and read my work. Leave a comment or drop me an email and let me know if you have a specific topic you’d like to see addressed.

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March 8, 2010 by Kelly.

I am a computer-literate person. You could say I am an advanced user. I can usually figure out how to work electronic things pretty easily. But today they got the best of me.

It started with a printer that just kept beeping at me. Looking back I think I know what the problem was (print settings on the computer), but at the time I was left scratching my head and pushing buttons to see if anything would print. Nothing did.

Then I tried to send a file to the color printer. This required telling it to “hold” the file until I came to push the buttons that make it print. It also required typing in a code for the department doing the printing. I clicked through a couple screens with no problems, and scrolled down to fill out some info… and became confused about where to place the code. Cancel that action.

I opened a file only to find out there were some incompatibilities on the machine I was using. Saved the file and tried to set up a merge, only to glance at the clock and see that it was 4:58pm. No time!

At least I was able to update some data, change some content, set up a few birthday reminders, reword our section of the bulletin, and print some envelopes–yes, I finally got that copier to quit beeping at me! Not a totally lost afternoon.

Walking in my front door, all I wanted to do was sit and not think. A mindless game on Facebook would be nice. But, supper needed to be made, and the kitchen needed to be cleaned up, and I was the elected candidate.

As I cooked, I prayed. Lord, I felt so stupid! I know I’m not stupid, though. Look at how much I got done in the short time I was there. I served You to the best of my ability. I could almost feel the pat on my back.

Why are we so quick to tear ourselves down? If it were someone else, we wouldn’t be tearing them down, and we certainly wouldn’t let anyone else tear them down. We saw how much was accomplished. Yes, it could have been a little more, but machines can be fickle due to human error or program glitches.

• I am not perfect.
• I kept my cool during the situation.
• I managed to get the machine to work for at least one project.
• God still loves me.
• I can ask for help with the projects I didn’t get done.
• I will not let the enemy beat me down and make me feel ignorant.
• I am a child of the Most High!

“I will rise on eagle’s wings” as the song goes.  “Before my God, fall on my knees.” He knows my heart. I seek to serve Him, and I can sleep tonight because I accomplished that today. Tomorrow, Christ will shine on me as I serve Him once again. I will rise!

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February 7, 2010 by Kelly.

I’ve learned to smile politely when someone asks me that–and I get asked that at least once a week! Personally, I don’t think I’m doing that much. I still have downtime, and I still waste time playing games on the computer, so I can’t be as busy as people think I am.

That’s the key: “as people think I am.”

I am busy, that is true, but exactly how busy I am depends on the person asking the question. I’ve come to understand that we view the lives of others with my-life-tinted glasses. In other words, we believe other people are doing things similar to what we’re doing, plus all the things they are doing, too.

I don’t watch much TV–when I do, I’m often crocheting or working on my computer at the same time. I don’t cook elaborate meals–if I have food cooking in the oven I try to wash dishes or read the paper while I wait. I don’t entertain guests, or grandchildren–as much as we’d like to entertain, our home is not quite ready for that… and we don’t have grandchildren yet. I don’t teach any classes at church, therefore I don’t need to prepare during the week. All of my writing deadlines are self-imposed right now–I’m not writing for publication at this time. As much as I love to sew, I only do it sporadically–maybe a couple times a year, when I decide I need a new dress. I don’t read as much as I used to–except for my Bible, which I read just about every day. Although I exercise regularly, it’s not every day. My children are not involved in sports, and they don’t take any music or art lessons right now–plus my son has his license so he can run errands for me if needed, which cuts down on my car-time.

So, if you look at all the things I don’t do, it’s easy to see how I do all the things I do. 

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January 16, 2010 by Kelly.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”

~Acts 1:8a

It was a “light bulb moment.” My children and I were studying the life of Jesus, and we read Matthew 5:16 (”In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”) I blurted out, “Our light source is God, and we have the choice of either being AC (accepting Christ) or DC (declining Christ). My children just stared at me, so I went on.

“When we accept Christ into our hearts, we tap into His power. We no longer rely on ourselves to get through life’s trials. We ‘plug in’ by reading the Bible, serving others, and gathering as a church. By accepting Christ, we have the potential to let our light shine steadily.” They looked like they were starting to understand, so I continued. “When we decline Christ, we don’t look for–or to–Him. All our energy is focused on ourselves. We don’t understand the message preached at church, and our Bibles lay unopened. We don’t ‘plug in’ because we’re running on our own batteries.”

They understood. They know the difference between batteries and electricity. They know the benefits of being plugged in. They are AC.

Lord, help me to be a light for You today. Fill me with Your Spirit, Your energy, Your love. Let me plug into You, and shine Your Light to the world.

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January 6, 2010 by Kelly.

On January 3rd, 2005, I began going through Search the Scriptures: A Three-year Bible Study Course for my daily devotions. Sometimes I’ll set it aside to do other devotional books, but I always come back to this book and pick-up wherever I left off. It’s not been an easy task. Although the book only asks two or three questions per passage studied, some of those questions really make me think!

I struggle with some of the questions–not because they point out sin in my life (which they do!), but because they don’t seem to make sense to me. I re-read the passage; I read it out loud. I re-read the question; I read it out loud… the point the author is trying to make still eludes me and I get frustrated. It can’t be that hard, can it?! There are no answers, so I can’t check to see where the author is going with his question.

There have been times when I try so hard to wrap my brain around the question that it brings me to tears. Lord, what am I missing? I just don’t get it! After I change my attitude from anxiousness to acceptance, my frustration levels drop and I can move on with my studies. Show me what You want me to learn. That attitude change often comes slowly.

Why do I get so frustrated? This flaw in my character has been a thorn in my side for a few years now–until a few days ago.

My daughter brought me a paper she had written. As I read over it, and mentally thought of all I wanted to correct on it, I remembered past times that I’d corrected her work.  It left her in tears. No, I wasn’t harsh, and I didn’t use a red pen. My daughter–who is the most willing to do her school work–is the most sensitive to correction. She will get so frustrated because she can’t seem to wrap her mind around a math concept, or she will forget basic grammar/spelling rules.

After I went over all the corrections to her paper and she didn’t cry, I looked at her and said, “You don’t know how hard that was for me.” I thanked her for not taking it personally, for allowing me to correct her. I reminded her that if she knew all the answers, and everything came easy to her, she wouldn’t need me to teach her.

I am so glad that God corrects me. I have so much to learn! It is my prayer that it will be easier for me to change my attitude from anxiousness to acceptance whenever I don’t understand something. It is my prayer that I will seek out the answers, dig for the truth, and search the scriptures until I do understand.

The thorn is still there, but at least it is now bearable.

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April 29, 2009 by Kelly.

I’m not talking about when it’s full of food; I want to know what prevents you from sharing Christ. I’ve got a few of my own issues, which I’ll share, but I’d love to hear from YOU. What closes your mouth, and keeps you silent when the opportunity to share Christ comes along? Our pastor posed that question during a recent sermon–and it’s a mighty good question, too! Perhaps if I share what closes my mouth, you’ll share what closes yours…

1. Fear -
   • …of saying the wrong thing.
   • …of stuttering.
   • …of being laughed at.
   • …of offending.
2. Assumptions - It’s easy to assume that the person you’re talking to already knows about Christ.
3. Distractions - The phone is ringing; it’s your turn at the check-out counter and there’s a line forming behind you; a child is crying; the list is endless.

The funny thing is, I can get around all of the above issues within five minutes of leaving the person I was interacting with!

Fear of saying the wrong thing. In Luke 12:12, Jesus taught His disciples not to worry about what to say in times like this–the Holy Spirit would put words into their mouths. A quick prayer is all it takes to place God’s words in your mouth.

Fear of stuttering. Yes, I’ve stumbled over words before, but it usually helps to break the ice. The listener sees that I’m human and have faults, just like her. Take a deep breath and stay calm.

Fear of being laughed at. No one likes to feel foolish, but if you are speaking God’s Truth you are wise. Proverbs 29:9 tells us that there will be no rest if you contend with a foolish man. Speak the Truth, and see what reaction you get. If you get no rest, be still and let the Holy Spirit work in their heart.

Fear of offending. Would you rather not offend and let that person suffer in eternity?! This shouldn’t even be on the list, but it often is–”How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

Assuming the person already knows about Christ. This is an easy assumption to make, for me at least. The majority of the people whom I come into contact with are already believers. I guess this is stereo-typical of me, and it’s an assumption I need to break.

Distractions that interrupt the conversation. By the time I overcome my fears, and stop assuming, the distractions begin. Is the person on the phone really more important than sharing Christ with someone? When I’m finished at the check-out, would it be so terrible to wait for the person behind me that I was talking to? I can hug my child at the same time I’m talking to someone else–usually that’s what they need, a hug. As long as they’re not bleeding or about to throw up, I should be trying to finish my conversation.

How would you encourage me to get past my issues? Do you have any sage advice? Leave a comment below–perhaps your advice will be just what I need!

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